Robert Griffin III ahead of schedule; Cousins prepping as starter

Washington Redskins quarterback RobertGriffin III warms up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, in Philadelphia. (Mel Evans)

Coach Mike Shanahan said the Washington Redskins can't count on Robert Griffin III to be on the field when the regular season begins.

Shanahan said Wednesday that they aren't pushing Griffin -- because he doesn't need the nudge -- and are preparing second-year quarterback Kurt Cousins by giving him all the first-team reps in the offseason and into training camp.

"If hard work has anything to do with it, (RG3) will be ready," Shanahan said at the owners meetings in Phoenix.

Griffin had surgery to repair torn knee ligaments after he was injured Jan. 8 in the playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Cousins, drafted in the fourth round, started one game -- a victory at Cleveland -- when Griffin sat out with a knee strain and completed 33 of 48 passes for 466 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions last season.

"Kirk Cousins will work at the quarterback position and he'll have all the reps in the offseason," Shanahan said. "Robert will have a lot of reps, but it will all be mental (repetitions). He'll know when he's 100 percent. He'll know what he can do on the football field, what he can do through practices, and he will not come back until he's 100 percent."

Fans of the Redskins might be alarmed to hear Shanahan imply Griffin will have some level of influence in when he's allowed back on the field.

Griffin "promised" Shanahan he was hurting, not injured, in the playoff loss to the Seahawks in January. It turned out he was hurting and injured.